Left Behind Read online

  Left Behind

  By: Jayton Young

  Copyright © Jayton Young 2011

  WARNING: This book contains some explicit sexual content and Ménage (M/F/MM) situations.

  Other Works

  No More Running – Mystery/Suspense/Romance

  Finding Aiden – Action/Romance (M/F/M)

  For Their Happiness – Werewolf/Romance/Teen Fiction

  Keep Reading after the story for an excerpt of Having Their Baby (A Left Behind Afterward)

  Blurb

  Marti has spent the last 10 years basically on her own. Her brothers had been at college and her three best friends had joined the military as a requirement to receive their inheritance. She lived through her father dying, then when she finally decided to attend a university, she lived through a very traumatic experience that leaves her mute and broken . But, somebody thinks he needs to finish the job he started.

  Toby, Tory, and Troy are home now. Each of them honorably discharged after injuries sustained in the line of duty. They get home to find the love of their lives, and best friend, had changed. She is no longer the outgoing, bubbly, girl they once knew.

  What will happen when they find out the reason why?

  Prologue

  10 years ago

  It felt like the world was crashing down around me. My legs wouldn’t hold me anymore, and if it weren’t for the three sets of arms holding me, I would have fallen.

  How could everyone just abandon me? Jordan, my older brother , left for Georgia State yesterday on his football scholarship. He wants to major on computer engineering. I’m very proud of him, but I’ll miss him so much. He is only three years older than me at eighteen, but he has practically raised James and me since Mommy died.

  I still have my younger brother James and my dad, but James is starting the foreign exchange in a month, going to Japan, and of course Daddy has been a workaholic since he quit drinking when my mom died five years ago, so I never see him. He only comes home to sleep.

  The people I thought I could count on, my best friends, are leaving. Toby, Tory, and Troy all had told me at different times that they would always be there for me. Now they are leaving to join different branches of the military as required by their grandfather ’s will to inherit the ranch and business that has been in their family for generations. In my head I know they have to go, but my heart won’t listen. I’ve been in love with them since I met them when my dad bought the land neighboring theirs when I was ten. For five years they have been coming to the ranch to learn everything from their Grampa Tobias. They have come to the ranch every summer and school holiday for their whole lives. Toby’s dad was a judge and hadn’t ever wanted the ranch, so it automatically went to the trips.

  We had met the day my family moved next door to them. Dad and Jordan wouldn’t let me help unpack the moving van. They said I was too little, but they let James help, and he had been smaller than me!? How was that possible? I discovered , by their continued behavior later on , that they were just trying to protect and coddle me because I was the only girl left in the family. My name is Martha Mckayla Cunningham and everyone called me Kayla until Mommy died, then for some reason Daddy and the boys started calling me Marti, short for Martha of course . They let me go anywhere I wanted as long as I stayed on our property.

  The day we moved I had been upset and crying because they wouldn’t let me help, so I walked around our land, which was mostly covered in trees, and found this beautiful bubbling creek in the woods a little ways from the house. I sat there crying when three identical boys , that looked to be Jordan’s age, came riding up to the fence that separated our lands.

  “Whacha cryin’ for?” one of them said as they all got off their horses and led them to the water for a drink. They climbed over the fence and came to sit beside me.

  “Nobody won’t let me help set up our new house. They told me to find something to do. I can help, and I wanna help, but they won’t let me!” I cried.

  The boys on either side of me put their arms around my shoulders.

  “Well, why don’t we find something to do? My name is Toby, what’s yours?” The one on the right said.

  “They call me Marti.”

  “Hey Marti! I’m Troy and that’s Tory.” The boy on the left said as he pointed to the boy beside Toby.

  “Do you want to ride my horse?” Toby asked.

  “I really want to, but Jordan told me to stay on our land.” I said, sad at not being able to ride.

  “Well, you want to feed them? We each brought treats for them for the ride today.” Tory said.

  “I’d love to, thanks!”

  And after that day, we were practically inseparable. They became friends with all of us, but we were closer. I fell in love with them, but I could never choose between them, so I never said anything.

  And now they were leaving.

  “You know we will come here for all of our leaves. You’ll still see us, Pea.” Toby said using his endearment for me. They had each given me a different one.

  “Cupcake, please don’t cry…” Troy said

  “It breaks our heart, Princess. We promised you a long time ago there would be no need for tears while you are with us.” Tory said finishing Troy’s statement.

  I looked up into their amber eyes. They were all so beautiful in a manly way, with buzz cut black hair and russet skin tone showing their Cherokee heritage. They all had the build of hard workers, and they kept getting bigger.

  “That’s just it.” I cried. “I won’t be with you.”

  Seeing the anguish on their faces, I tried to pull myself together. I hated myself for making them feel bad for leaving.

  “Okay. I know y’all have to go. I’ll be alrigh t. We’re gonna write and like you said, I’ll see you on each of your leaves. I’ll be busy with school and work anyway. Y’all just have to promise me to be careful wherever you each are stationed.”

  They each backed up and looked down at me (they are a foot taller than me at 6’3) and smiled.

  “You know us…” Toby said.

  “We are always…” Troy continued.

  “Careful and in control, Princess.” Tory finished. They had a habit of sharing sentences thinking it was funny .

  I laughed. “Thank you. Y’all always know what to say to make me feel better. I’ll miss all of you. I’ll be here waiting for everyone to come back.”

  “What about your plans for college, Pea?” Toby asked.

  “I’ll be going to community college. Dad needs someone to keep him sane. You know he never cooks anymore, and wouldn’t eat if it weren’t for me shoving the plate in his face as soon as he gets home every day.” I exaggerated a sigh. “It’s nice to be needed.”

  “We’ll always need ya, Cupcake. But you’ll have to do the beatin’ of any boys comin’ your way. Just remember what we taught ya.” Tory said.

  “Yeah, yea h , fight dirty and fight to win. I gotcha.”

  I watched as my boys finished loading their SUV. They each gave me a long hug and a peck on the mouth. They got in, and I watched them drive down the gravel driveway until I couldn’t see them anymore.

  And then I was alone.

  Chapter 1

  I woke up drenched in sweat. It’s not really unusual for me anymore. More like the norm. I got up and took a shower before heading down the dark hallway to the kitchen. The hall is not that long, but it’s dark because I keep my whole house that way. I like to keep the windows covered by the drapes and all of the doors closed . I am so paranoid about someone looking in to the house through the windows , even though I am surrounded by the woods except for my gravel driveway, but even that is canopied by trees .

  I’m still in the house Daddy bought fifteen years ago. He died two years ago, but left
the house to me along with a hefty life insurance policy that neither my brothers nor I knew about. He only left it to me, explaining that he loved all of us, but had taken me for granted for all those years I cared for him. He said he did appreciate it, but he hadn’t known how to talk to me because I reminded him too much of our mother. He said for us not to morn him that he was happy that he would finally be with Mommy again since he’d been saved. Come to find out, Daddy had liver cance r from all of the years of drinking he did before Mommy died. He didn’t want treatment, because he missed Mommy to o much and was happy that he would be reunited with her. Jordan and James weren’t upset about the money or the house. Daddy had paid for their education and got them into their own apartments , though Jordan moved back in with me so I wouldn’t be alone . I shared the money with them anyway.

  I went to the island workstation that has a sink, built in fryer, and a built in flat surface stove top. James, being an architect , designed the remodel of my kitchen. He built me my dream kitchen and put in all of the most up to date appliances for me.

  I put a pot of water on to boil for my morning grits, and got a frying pan out to fix Jordan his eggs before he headed into his home office for the day, if he didn’t have any other plans . He owns an internet security company. He also build s websites for people. He does really well for himself. I set my sweet iced tea and his orange juice and coffee on the table, and then finished cooking our breakfast.

  I couldn’t talk or make any sounds anymore due to an incident that happened last year, so I typed that breakfast was ready into the voice machine that Jordan built for me and set it for loud so it could call Jordan for me. I laughed silently like I do every time I use it for that, because it shouts louder than I used to.

  A couple of minutes later, Jordan walked in.

  “Good morning, Sis!” He said sitting down at the booth-like table next to the bay wind ows. “What masterpiece did you make for me this morning?”

  ‘A farmer’s omelet.’ I signed to him. Jordan, James and I all took an ASL course, after we learned I would never be able to speak again, to make communicating easier than having to write or type everything. The doctors had wanted me to get an artificial voice box, but I didn’t want anyone ever cutting on me again, so I declined.

  ‘What are your plans for today ?’ I asked him.

  “I’ll be spending today up in Charlotte to get the updated equipment I need. I’ll be stopping in town on my way back to stock up on groceries and supplies. Make your list of what you need.”

  ‘You should have told me last night. That way y ou wouldn’t have to wait on me . I reprimanded . I’ve got a pretty long list .’

  I started making the list out while I finished eating my grits.

  “What are your plans?” He asked after he had finished eating and was rinsing his plate to put in the dishwasher.

  I put down my pen so I could answer. ‘I’ll just be working on my book today .’ I had decided to write a book using a story I had started in high school. I had several stories I wanted to try to get published if the first one went well .

  “Please, stay inside today. You can use my office if you’d like, but I’d rather you didn’t go to the creek while I’m not here. Even with your panic bracelet, I won’t be close enough to help if something happens.”

  I usually did my writing at the creek. It was my thi nking place because I always fe l t so safe and tranquil there. It was my favorite place be cause it was our place. The triplets’ and mine. Since I went out there so often and couldn’t yell if something happened, Jordan had made me a bracelet that had an electronic device in it where if I were to push the button, it would immediately alert him through his masculine version of my bracelet. He was very protective of me, and worried every time I left the house. Not that I ever go anywhere.

  ‘I wasn’t planning on it. I said in answer to his plea. I was just going to lie in bed and use the laptop. I’m feeling lazy today .’

  “Are you alright?”

  ‘Yeah , I just had another nightmare. For some reason it left me feeling drained .’ I said.

  “Okay, if you’re sure. Hey! I forgot to tell you. James called around 2 o’clock this morning saying that he’s moving back to Fort Mill.” He said getting all excited. “He said that he took the licensing exams for South Carolina online last week and passed. He’s gonna move back in here until he builds his own house. He wants to buy some of this land off you so he can be close to us. He is also bringing Shelby with him. They finally got engaged, so she’ll be moving down here and in with him once he get s the house built.”

  ‘I’ll give him the land. It belongs to both of you just as much as it does to me. And Shelby can move in here with us. She doesn’t have to wait if she do es n’t want to .’ I kind of like d the fact that my whole family will be with me again.

  “Dad left all this to you, and you deserve it. We were never mad about that, but we both just want to stay close to you. I missed you too much while I was in Georgia, and James feels the same way. I swear, I don’t know how he’s stayed away this long. Y’all were always more like twins, even being eleven months apart.” He paused as he ate the last of his coffee. “That was one of Mom’s favorite things to tell people. She loved how close you two were and that you were even in the same grade ‘cause of your birthday and the school cut off dates. Remember all of the stories she used to tell us about when y’all were babies. She always referred to you as ‘the babies’, not Kayla and James.”

  ‘Yeah , I remember. I’ve missed him too. I love both of you very much. I don’t think I would have made it after everything happened if you hadn’t been here with me. And I know he tried his best to be here as much as possible. I’m just happy he’ll finally be home for good. I’ll be able to see both of you every day , even if he does stay in his own house. At least he’s bringing me a new sister with him.’

  I got to thinking. My family would finally be here with me. If only Toby, Tory, and Troy would come home, everything would be perfect.

  ******************************************************

  I was sitting on the bed in my room, on my laptop writing, when I heard the rattle of chains. My head whipped up, looking towards my door. I knew nothing in my house would make that sound. I didn’t like chains, and wouldn’t allow them on my property. They brought back too many p ainful memories. Maybe Jordan wa s home and he forgot? No, I knew he would never forget , either. Jordan knew why I hated chains and would never do that to me.

  I slowly put the laptop down, got off the bed as quietly as possible, and grabbed the alu minum baseball bat I always had sitting beside the nightstand. I was barefoot, so I didn’t make a sound as I tiptoed to the bedroom door. I slowly went down the hall, looking in all the doors-which we keep open at all times due to my paranoia-and made my way to the great room. It is an open space that combines the living room, den, and dining room. What I saw made me let out a silent scream and break down into sobs. Chains were hanging from the ceiling. Some had handcuffs attached at the end, and some had hooks. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. A hand landed on my shoulder, and a voice said, “I’ve missed our games, Kayla. Time to play.”

  **************************************************************

  I shot up from the bed, dropping the laptop on the floor, and looked around the room franticly. I started crying, even though I knew it was just another nightmare. I was never going to be able to have a normal sleep again. All this time had passed and I still couldn’t close my eyes without those images coming back to haunt me.

  My laptop had broken in half because it was open when it fell, so after I washed my face, I picked it up off the floor, taking it to Jordan’s office. I knew he would be able to fix it.

  I looked at the clock and saw I had missed lunch, and it was getting to be time for dinner. Jordan would be home soon. I sent him a quick text message asking him to stock me up on my Red Bulls , caffeinated teabags, and No-Doze. I needed all the help I could to stay awake. I
had drunk my iced tea, but I was out of Red Bulls, and look what happened. I could get by several days with just light dozing and not actually sleeping and reaching the REM cycle of my sleep where I dream, but I always end up crashing out for a day to catch up. The thing with that is, even the crash wouldn’t refresh me because of the nightmares.

  I just didn’t feel safe anymore, even with my big brother here. I tried t o hide it from him, but he knew. I could tell he felt bad that he couldn’t help me more, but he wa s amazing anyway . I couldn’t have ask ed for two better brothers than the ones I have. I was just too messed up in the head for them to be able to help me. I t wasn’t their fault.

  I went into the kitchen to make supper, and for the next hour, lost myself in listening to my Bose stereo system and cooking my special home-made seafood jambalaya. I was doing the dishes I had used while cooking, when Jordan walked in with grocery bags hanging off his arms.

  “Sis, I smelled your cookin’ from out in the driveway.” He said. “You are an angel from heaven. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I am sooooo hungry.”

  I went to help him put the bags down then turned and signed, ‘You are not supposed to skip meals William Jordan .’ I crossed my arms over my chest, and gave him my best ‘you know better’ look.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Marti. I bet you didn’t eat either.” He looked pointedly at me. “You never stop to eat when you’re writing . Even when you’re not writing, you don’t take care of yourself so don’t lecture me. I was trying to hurry so I could get home to your cookin’.”

  I started to tear up realizing how much of his freedom he’d given up to come home to watch out for me.

  ‘I’m sorry J. I know I don’t have room to talk .’ I said He came and gave me a big bear hug. “Please don’t cry. I wasn’t fussin’. I just worry about you.”

  I pulled away from him so I could sign to him. ‘I know you worry. I worry about you, too. You used to go out. You used to have girlfri ends , but you stopped doing all of that . You gave everything up to come take care of me. I feel like I’ve messed things up for you.’